What is going on with this elm?

[j evans]

I had this elm pop up in my yard and I just let it grow, then about 2 years ago I put it in a pot. I liked it because it had really small leaves. Last fall I cut the top off before putting it into winter storage. Tonight I was looking at it and noticed the sprouts coming from the cut have large leaves. Top, large leaves, bottom small leaves. What's going on?

 

[AJL]

Elm yellows phytoplasma can cause similar symptoms

 

[Stan Kengai]

It's probably what is commonly referred to as a water sprout. They can sap vigor from other areas on small plants. I would simply remove it leaving a small unsealed stub. Keep an eye on that area for overly vigorous buds.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

On one of my dwarf Chinese elm cultivars I have the same issue. Every now and then it will throw a new branch that seems to revert back to "full-sized" leaves. Whenever I see a new branch with larger leaves, I simply remove it before it gets too large.

 

[sorce]

I was looking at my American next to my Siberian this morning thinking about them American elm leaves size.

They look the same!

Sorce

 

[sorce]

That shoot is already growing a shoot too?

How long have your trees been growing already?

Sorce

 

[j evans]

Thought I have some alien plant of some kind. Weird to see such a big difference in the size of leaves on one plant. Thanks for the help. This is May, had almost no winter so I'd say they have about 3 months of growing time, I'd guess. Maybe a bit less.

 

[Forsoothe!]

You have done the opposite of removing all the leaves, but leaving the mature buds to be inflated by dividing all the energy by the large number of buds equals smaller leaves. The standard defoliation process. You have removed all the buds so now you divide the amount of energy in the roots (unchanged) by very few buds equals the same amount of leaf surface divided among very few really big leaves.